Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Contact Dermatitis. 2019 Jun;80(6):386-390. doi: 10.1111/cod.13229. Epub 2019 Mar 6.
Patch testing is the key diagnostic test for diagnosing allergic contact dermatitis, but there is limited information on the use of patch testing at the population level.
To utilize Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) data to analyse trends in the rate of patch testing in Ontario.
Patch testing billing data submitted to the OHIP between 1992 and 2014 were analysed. Two patch test billing codes were investigated: one for work-related testing (G198), and one for non-work-related testing (G206). Rates of patch testing overall were calculated, and trends over time were described.
There were 51 576 patch test billings: 48 416 non-work-related and 3160 work-related. The annual rate of non-work-related patch testing (G206) ranged from 11.9 per 100 000 people to 25.9 per 100 000 people, increasing over time. The rate of work-related patch testing (G198) ranged from 0.17 to 2.32 per 1 000 000 people, and was relatively stable. The overall distribution of billing by specialty was 70% dermatology, 19% other medical subspecialties, and 10% paediatrics and family medicine.
Administrative health data can contribute to a more complete understanding of patch test utilization at the population level and, over time, can be used to track patch testing practices.
斑贴试验是诊断过敏性接触性皮炎的关键诊断试验，但在人群水平上，关于斑贴试验的使用信息有限。
利用安大略省医疗保险计划（OHIP）数据分析安大略省斑贴试验率的趋势。
分析了 1992 年至 2014 年间向 OHIP 提交的斑贴试验计费数据。研究了两种斑贴试验计费代码：一种是与工作相关的测试（G198），另一种是非工作相关的测试（G206）。计算了总体斑贴试验率，并描述了随时间的趋势。
共有 51576 次斑贴试验计费：48416 次非工作相关，3160 次工作相关。非工作相关斑贴试验（G206）的年发生率从每 10 万人 11.9 到 25.9 不等，呈上升趋势。工作相关斑贴试验（G198）的发生率从每 100 万人 0.17 到 2.32 不等，相对稳定。按专业计费的总体分布为皮肤科 70%，其他医学亚专科 19%，儿科和家庭医学 10%。
行政健康数据有助于更全面地了解人群水平上的斑贴试验使用情况，并且随着时间的推移，可以用于跟踪斑贴试验实践。
